Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Housing Advocates Announce Federal Housing Funds for Struggling Homeowners
Note: in 2022, as Communications Director of Floridians for Honest Lending, I helped organize several press conferences with elected officials to publicize available relief funds for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages from the American Rescue Plan. The following is a post-press conference press release written by Mercury Public Affairs. The embedded video is some of the earned media we achieved through this press conference.
Today, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23), along with housing advocacy organization Floridians for Honest Lending, held a press conference to announce federal housing funds available via the Homeowners Assistance Fund (HAF) for struggling local homeowners.
“Thanks to President Biden, Democrats in Congress created a fund that struggling Florida homeowners can tap into for help. The American Rescue Plan put aside 676 million dollars for Florida homeowners who are struggling financially,” shared Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “We’re talking about assistance for mortgages, for utility bills, for the internet, for homeowners association fees, which a lot of people end up getting backed up on.”
The fund is designed to mitigate financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing homeowners’ mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and displacements, as well as by providing assistance with home energy services, internet, property and/or flood insurance, property taxes, and homeowner or condominium association fees.
“This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever needed help. I’m not one to ask for help,” said James Cameron, a Broward County homeowner who shared his story. “My hope is that this program will help me and my family stay in the home that we love.”
Established under Section 3206 of the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congressional Democrats and signed into law by President Biden in 2021, the Homeowners Assistance Fund provides $676,102,379 in financial assistance to the state of Florida.
“I want to say thank you to the Congresswoman and President Biden for bringing these funds back to Florida. If you are a homeowner who has faced any sort of financial hardship, you may be eligible for this relief,” said Laura Wagner, Executive Director for Floridians for Honest Lending. “Unfortunately the process is moving rather slowly.”
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity was assigned by Governor DeSantis to manage and operate the fund on behalf of the state of Florida. Unfortunately, as thousands of homeowners await the possibility of losing their homes, only 16% of the relief funds have been dispersed by the DEO.
“When I heard of the Homeowners Assistance Fund, for help with financial hardship I was ecstatic but I was really disappointed when I heard I had to go through DEO to get the funds,” said Claudia O’Leary, condo owner at risk of foreclosure. “I filed on May 12th and I still haven’t heard back. Not one word. I just hope DEO can manage this program better than they managed the unemployment program. It is vital for DEO to communicate with applicants and get funds disbursed to applicants before people lose their homes.”
“It’s unconscionable that the Governor has not fixed the problems with DEO and even more unconscionable that he’s not letting homeowners know that they have this assistance available,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Click here to view the full press conference.
To learn more about the Homeowners Assistance Fund, please visit:
To learn more about Floridians for Honest Lending, please visit: https://honestlendingfl.org/
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